Potato-digger.



W, H. RICE.

POTATO BIGGER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-11, 1912.

1,076,150. Patented 001;. 21, 1913.

1'? i Wk llillilllil I HII IIHII EH 1 wxtnran a. 31GB, or necessitate, NEW YORK.

' (ill whom, it may concern:

Be i lgnown that I, WILLIAM H. Rice, of

Rocl1ester,in=the county of hlonroeand State of New fYork, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Potato-Diggers, which improvement is fully setforth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.

' 1 The present invention relates topotato diggers and more particularly to the type c which has a shovel arranged to collect the potatoes, dirt and vines to deliver the same lnto the machine for the purpose of separatthe otato'esfrom the dirt and vines, and. an ob3ectof this invention is to so construct- -the throat or forward end olfthe machine that; it w ll permit the vines to readily enter he m ne thet roat. 7

Another objectof the invention is to simplify the construction of the throats of potato diggers for the purpose of rendering the same less expensive to manufacture and less without packing or amming in liable to get out of order. a

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain parts and combinations ofparts all of which will be hereinafter de- "the novel features being pointed 'ut n th app d d l m of a po tatodigger with portions thereof,

In-the drawings; Fi ure 1 1s a top view which do not relate to the present improvements', removed; Fig, 2 1s a detail view of the forward end or throat'of the digger, the

shovel being shown in central vertical section and the forward end being shown in its inner face inside elevation; Fig. 3 is'a per spect-ive view of one of tl'ie forward end castings; Fig. 4 is a.sectiononthe l-ine act Ifig. 2; and Figs. (3, 7 and 8 are sections on v 5-0, cid and ee, respectively, of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2; Fig, 5 is a section on the line 6 6 the lines The invention is shown "as embodied in a potato digger of that type having a pair of ground wheels 1 supporting a suitable frame on which an endless elevator Qis arranged at an angle to the horizontal to recelve the potatoes, dirt'and vines collected 'by a shovel 3 at'the forward" end oi-theme; chine, the elevator acting; toiseparatejthe dirt from the potatoesandftojjdeliyergthe, potatoes 7 with} the a vines to; any shitable -1neans.f"Of course, the'inventipn is appli aplelto machines of other construetifons". 1}

h P sent eme diaaaa thet eme'. a

l Specification of Letters latent.

Porno-means.

Patented'0ct.21,1913.

" Application filed October 11, 1912 Serial No. $325,182.

the maclnne comprises a pair of parallel frame bars 3, 1n the form of angle ircns one arm of each iron being arranged vertically and the other arm horizontally. and extends ing outwardly. ,At the forward end of these angle bars or frame pieces 4 are arranged suitable castings to both of which the shovel of the angle bar 4. At the forward end of the casting, an inwardly and laterally projecting lug 8 is formed and isprovided with a seat portion 9 formed with bolt openings 10 to permit the casting to be secured to one side of the shovel 3. The top face of the casting has a forward portion 11 which widens laterally from its forward end, in clines upwardly from the inner vertical wall 6 and inclines upwardly from its forward end until it reaches a rearward face 12011 the casting. The rearward portion 12 forms acontinuation of the portion 11, widenslat} erally and inclines upwardly from the vertical wall 6. At its rear endabeyond or in rear of the portion 12, the top face of. each casting is provided with a seat 18 to which the forward tapered end of one of the side plates 15 is bolted as at 1 1. I

The side plates 15 have their lower edges resting upon the upper edges of the vertical arms of the angle bars a, being secured thereto in any suitable manner, and being .also secured by bolts 16 to the draft beams 17 which extend upwardly, forwardly, and

which the draft means is secured.

the throat of the digger and, to this end, they are cut so that they taper toward their forward ends, the extreme ends being secured to the "castings before described; They are rolled or bulgedinwardly throughout their reduced 'portionsfrom a flat portion atthe. extreme forward: end, inclining outwardly to aflat"portion arranged vertically at, the

a jn'dofythe reduced portion and in pronimity tdfthe' draft; pieces17. This roll. or bulge ante rear end of the throat of the. nigger is one of the important features of this e efiaonas i ars nal a w re; fac

forward end thereof to interfere with the free entrance of the material. The side plates 15 and the forward castlngs form slides which have vertical rear portions and forward portions tapering to the plane of the" shovel, the rear portions of the tapered portions, that. is, in this instance, the forward ends of the side plates, bulge inwardly and incline outwardly, whereas the forward ends of the taperedportions, that is, in this instance, the castings incline outwardly, so that material which has entered the throat finds less chance of escaping as it proceeds rearwardly and when it reaches a certain position in the throat, namely the rounded or bulged portion, the material is gradually brought on to the conveyer, for, it will be noted that the forward end of the conveyor extends downiiito the throat beyond the rounded or convex portion, so that by the time the draft pieces or beams 17 are reached, the throat merges into the side walls of the digger. This arrangement, not only gives ease of action by reason of the forward formation of the throat, but the rounded or convex portion serves to prevent all pack-' with shovel, of a pair of tapered pieces secared to the shovel, frame bars secured to the pieces, and side plates having forward tapered portions forming continuations of the pieces.

3. In a potato digger. the combination with a shovel, of a pair of tapered pieces se-' cured to the shovel and having seats at their rear ends, frame bars secured in some of said seats so as to lie flush with faces of the pieces, and side plates supported on said frame bars and having their-forward ends tapered and secured in seats of the pieces.

4. In a potato digger, ashov'el, pieces se cared to the opposite sides of the shovel. and having faces which gradually widen from the shovel and inclined outwardly with rorcaao reference to the plane of the shovel, frame bars secured to the pieces, and vertical side plates having tapered forward ends secured to the pieces, and gradually inclining outwardly from the vertical portions thereof.

5. In a potato digger, a shovel, pieces secured to the opposite sides of the shovel and eachhaving a forward face gradually widening rearwardly and inclining outwardly and rearwardly with reference to the plane of the shovel and a rearward face gradually widening rearwardly and inclining outwardly, each of said pieces being provided owith a seat below said rearward face and frame bars each secured to one of the pieces in the seat below the rearward face of said pieces, and vertical side plates having tapered forward ends which gradually incline outwardly and each of which is secured in the seat at the rear of the rearward face of one of the pieces.

6. In a potato digger, a shovel, pieces secured to opposite sides of the shovel and havingfaces inclining outwardly and widening rearwardly, frame bars secured to said pieces, vertical side plates having tapered for "21rd ends gradually inclining outwardly toward the pieces and secured to the latter, and draft beams secured to the digger in rear of the tapered portions of the side plates.

with a shovel, sides provided with vertical rear portions and forward portions tapering to the plane of the shovel, the rear portions of the said tapered portions bulging in wardly and inclining outwardly gradually from the vertical portion and the forward tapered portions inclining outwardly, and draft means securedentirely to the vertical portions of the sides so that the forward tapered portion is free to permit the free entrance of vines into the digger.

S. A potato digger having, in combination with a shovel, sides provided with vertical rear portions and tapered forward portions, the rear-portions of said tapered portions gradually inclining outwardly from the vertical rear portions, the outwardly inclined portion on each side merging into a point at the upper edge of the rear vertical portion and gradually widening toward the shovel, those portions of the side below said outwardlv inclined portions being vertical and in a plane with the vertical portion in rear ofthetapered portion, and a bulge connect the vertical portion beneath'said outwardly inclined portion. f

r lV'ILLIAllI H. RICE.

lvitnesses;

fixnonn ll. Sinus,

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with. a seat in rear of said rearward face,'

7. A potato digger having, in combination mg the outwai'dlly inclined portion with 

